(73) Duplicate Copy of Forms for Fee Processing No Longer Required
Numerous United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) forms
utilized for making fee payments in regard to an application, a
reexamination proceeding or a patent include language requesting a
duplicate copy of the form for fee processing. In the past, the duplicate
copy of the form was needed as the paper application file would be in one
area of the Office while the processing of the fee would be done in another
area of the Office. It is current Office procedure to scan forms
containing an authorization to charge or credit a fee amount to a deposit
account into the Image File Wrapper (IFW) of an application, a
reexamination proceeding or a patent. Once the form is scanned into IFW, it
is available and viewable throughout the Office for, inter alia, fee
processing. As a result, there is no longer a need for the duplicate copy.
Office forms (e.g., PTO/SB/05; PTOL-85B; PTO/SB/16; PTO/SB/17i; PTO/SB/17p;
PTO/SB/18; PTO/SB/19; PTO/SB/22; PTO/SB/24A; PTO/SB/29; PTO/SB/30;
PTO/SB/31; PTO/SB/32; PTO/SB/37; PTO/SB/43; PTO/SB/45; PTO/SB/50; PTO/SB/56;
PTO/SB/57; PTO/SB/58; PTO/SB/65; PTO/SB/66; PTO/SB/94; PTO/SB/13PCT; and
PTO-1390) will be revised to remove the request for a duplicate copy of the
form for fee processing. In the event that a duplicate copy of a form is
needed for fee processing (e.g., the form has not been scanned into IFW or
the form is submitted in a security application), the Office will make the
necessary copy of the form for fee processing.
Inquiries concerning this notice may be directed to James Engel, Senior
Legal Advisor in the Office of Patent Legal Administration, at
(571) 272-7701 or at PatentPractice@uspto.gov.
August 27, 2008 JOHN J. LOVE
Deputy Commissioner for
Patent Examination Policy
[1334 OG 338]